Manual exercise device for toning and tightening flaccid tissue surrounding an airway

ABSTRACT

Manual exercise device that is comprised of a combination mouthpiece and top cap, a soft-rubber check-valve, a hard plastic hollow spherical bulb, and a soft plastic washer with a minuscule hole at its center held in position by an open-faced cap. A preferred embodiment affords a user a means through which to manually create and maintain a slowly depleting vacuum within the hard plastic bulb, exercising flaccid tissue and musculature in the process.

CITATION TO PRIOR APPLICATION

This is a CONTINUATION-IN-PART with respect to U.S. application Ser. No. 11/530857, filed 11 Sep. 2006 (11.09.2006) from which priority is claimed under 35 U.S.C. §120.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The primary object of the invention is to provide a non-invasive physical exercise approach to alleviate flaccid tissue obstructions along a human airway.

Another object of the invention is to provide an alternative to the routine application of lubricants to the flaccid tissue of the soft palate, uvula and surface tissue at the back of the throat in preparation for sleep.

Another object of the invention is to provide a means through which to tone and tighten tissue associated with OSA beneficial to people intolerable to CPAP therapy.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following descriptions, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. By way of example and illustration, an embodiment of the present invention is enclosed. Prototypes of the present invention are available for further inspection.

In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, there is disclosed a manual exercise device for toning and tightening flaccid tissue surrounding an airway (U-Firm): a hard-plastic, hollow spherical bulb that has threaded open necks at opposite ends; a plastic mouthpiece with threaded cap at one end of corresponding shape and size of the top larger open neck of the hollow bulb; a soft-rubber check-value of the circumference compatible with the inner-perimeter of the larger of two open necks to allow for insertion of the check-valve; an open-faced plastic cap, threaded on its inner-surface and of a corresponding size and shape of the smaller of two open necks of the hollow bulb; a soft-plastic solid washer with a minuscule hole at its exact center. This soft-plastic washer is of circumference corresponding with that of the inner-perimeter of the underside of the face of the open-faced threaded cap.

The present invention is intended to affect a repetitious, manual exercise by creating and maintaining a self-sustained vacuum within the hard-plastic hollow bulb. Slow dissipation of this vacuum results from seepage of air into the bulb through the minuscule hole at the center of the soft-plastic washer, secured in position by the open-faced cap, providing an otherwise airtight seal over the open neck. The continuous drawing of puffs of air through the mouthpiece increases the force of the vacuum depleted by seepage of air. The soft-rubber check-valve is drawn shut by the sustained vacuum, opening only when puffs of air are drawn by the user. The series of events required to maintain the vacuum flexes and relaxes flaccid musculature and tissue, thus alleviating obstructive tissue by toning and lifting it out of the airway.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The drawings constitute a part of intended specifics and include exemplary embodiments to the invention. It should be understood that aspects of the invention are in correspondence with actual “working” prototypes. In some of the drawings components may be shown enlarged to facilitate a clear understanding of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the invention transparently depicting total assembly.

FIG. 2 is a non-transparent, full assembly of the invention.

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the invention, disassembled.

FIG. 4 is a section view of the invention, fully assembled.

FIG. 5 is a transparent view, from multiple angles, of invention's mouthpiece.

FIG. 6 shows the threaded bottom open neck and corresponding open-faced cap.

FIG. 7 is a partial section view and bottom view of the invention's combination mouthpiece and top cap.

FIG. 8 is a section view of the bulb and open neck at either end, with transparent threads.

FIG. 9 shows a partial section view of the bulb revealing its hollow interior.

FIG. 10 shows a section view of the top threaded neck, as well as the underside of the corresponding mouthpiece cap.

FIG. 11 shows the top threaded neck and outer edge of the top open neck.

FIG. 12 shows front, side and bottom views of invention's check-valve.

FIG. 13 shows 3-step insertion of the check-valve down into the top open neck, as well as all-angle views of the valve.

FIG. 14 shows the bottom open-faced cap in traparency, as well as the inside of the cap.

FIG. 15 is a side view and section view of the bottom cap, and top and bottom view of same, as well as side and top views of the washer with minuscule hole.

FIGS. 16 and 17 are views of the solid washer with minuscule hole at its center.

FIG. 18 shows a “user” of the invention with the mouthpiece in place, in preparation for use.

FIG. 19 shows a section view of a human mouth, lips and airway, and an open mouth revealing the uvula and other potentially flaccid tissue.

FIG. 20 shows the invention's mouthpiece positioned for use indicating trajectory of air.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The present invention and prototypes of same correspond formal and informal drawings in conjunction with descriptions herein.

Invention 100 as shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, is comprised of five separate components including a hollow 40 hard plastic spherical bulb 50; a combination mouthpiece 49 and threaded cap 31; a soft rubber check-valve 25, 29, 43, 44, 45; a soft-plastic solid washer 41 with a minuscule hole 24 at its exact center, and an open-faced 32 threaded cap 42.

FIGS. 8 and 9 show the hard-plastic spherical bulb 50 and its entirely hollow interior 40. At one end of the bulb 50 is a protruding open-end neck with threads on its outward-facing surface 47, as shown in FIG. 10. At the opposite end of the bulb 50 is ‘a second smaller open-end neck with an outward-facing threaded surface 46, as shown in FIG. 10.

FIGS. 14 and 15 show the open-faced 32 threaded 28 cap 42 which is designed so as to allow the threaded 28 inner-surface to correspond with the outward-facing threaded surface of the smaller of two open necks 46.

FIGS. 16 and 17 show the soft-plastic, solid washer 41 with a minuscule hole 24 at its center. The circumference of the washer 41 is compatible with the perimeter of the inside surface 27 of the open-face 32 cap 42. When the washer 41 is positioned inside the open-face 32 cap 42, a rim 26 along the edge of the open face secures the washer 41 in place by turning the cap 42 clockwise and down onto the corresponding outward facing threads of the open neck 46, at the bottom end of the bulb 50.

As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the soft-rubber check-valve 25, 29, 43, 44, 45 is form-fitted to slide down into the larger open neck 47, as shown in FIG. 13, a, b, and c. This check-valve is inserted open-end 29 first, until protruding lip 25 sits flush against the surface 24 of the open neck 47. The check-valve 25, 29, 43, 44, 45 has a solid rubber body 45 with a hollow channel 2_9 at its center that runs its entire length. At the top end of the check-valve's rubber body 45 is a protruding soft-rubber, 2-sided flap 43, positioned directly above and in line with the hollow channel 29. The rubber lip 25 serves as an airtight washer and seal, when the threaded cap 31 of the mouthpiece 49 is turned clockwise down onto the threaded open neck 47 at the top end of the bulb 50.

Once the proper assembly of the invention 100 has been affected, as shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 4, the user must place the open end 30 of the mouthpiece 49 between his or her lips 39, as shown in FIG. 18.

Lips 39 form a seal around the entire open end 30. When mouthpiece 49 has been properly positioned, user begins to draw puffs of air through the open end 30 of the mouthpiece 49. Air is drawn from within the hollow 40 bulb 50 where it travels through the hollow channel 29 of the check-valve's body 45, where the air then passes through the soft-rubber flap-seal 43. Air passing through the flap-seal 43 continues on through the hollow 23 mouthpiece 49 where it exits the open end 30 of the mouthpiece 49, and enters the users mouth 21, as shown in FIGS. 19 and 20. Drawn air is then expelled out through the user's nostrils 38.

As air is extracted from within the hollow 40 bulb 50, a vacuum begins to occur. The force of this vacuum drawl back against the soft-rubber seal-flap 43, pulls the two sides of the flap 43 together creating a seal that captures the vacuum within the hollow 40 bulb 50. When user draws against this entrapped vacuum, the two sides of the rubber flap 43 are forced apart allowing for air to pass between them as air exits the hollow 40 of the bulb 50 on its way to the user's mouth 21, creating a one-way path for the extracted air.

As the force of the vacuum contained within the bulb 50 increases, user must exert more strength to draw air against this force in order to continue the procedure, thereby necessitating the utilization of the numerous musculature within and beneath flaccid issue surrounding the user's airway 36, as shown in FIGS. 19 and 20. The continuous repetitious flexing and relaxing of these otherwise neglected or sparingly used muscles continues to manually exercise these muscles for the duration of the period the user maintains the entrapped vacuum.

The minuscule hole 34 at the center of the soft-plastic washer 41 shown in FIGS. 4, 15, 16, and 17, positioned beneath the bottom cap 42, allows for a constant but gradual seepage of air into the hollow 40 interior of the bulb 50, slowly dissipating the force of the vacuum, otherwise trapped within the bulb 50. This dissipation of the force of the vacuum is replenished by the user's continued drawing of air through the embodiment of the invention 100 and into his or her mouth 21.

The continuous repetitious recreation of the depleting vacuum contained within the bulb 50 achieves the object of manually exercising flaccid tissues surrounding an airway 36, thus providing a means through which to tone and tighten tissue which can be responsible for obstructing an airway 36. 

1. A non-invasive exercise apparatus comprised of: a hard plastic sphere made of santoprene and polystyrene with threaded open orifices at opposite ends of the sphere; a rubber check-valve that sits snugly in the larger of the two threaded orifices; a plastic mouth piece that attaches to the larger threaded orifice by a threaded cap corresponding with threads on the orifice, covering the rubber check-valve; a threaded, open-face plastic cap that corresponds with the smaller threaded orifice; a soft plastic washer with a circumference of the inner-face of the. open-face plastic cap; and a minuscule hole that is positioned precisely at the center of the soft plastic washer.
 2. A non-invasive exercise apparatus, as stated in claim 1, whereas, once assembled provides repetitious exercise for tissue surrounding the human airway by creating and maintaining a vacuum within the hard plastic, hollow sphere.
 3. A non-invasive exercise apparatus, as stated in claim 1, which provides a safe, effective means through which to tone and tighten tissue in human airways that is associated with and responsible for snoring.
 4. A non-invasive exercise apparatus, as stated in claim 1, that, with continued proper use, tones and tightens flaccid obstructive tissue along and surrounding the human airways that is associated with and responsible for the health detriment known as Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA).
 5. A non-invasive exercise apparatus, as stated in claim 1 which, when utilized in a proper and routine manner, is effective in toning and tightening tissue surrounding, human airways allowing for the intake and exhalation of air, unhampered by blockages associated with otherwise flaccid and untoned tissue. 